Sunday, July 31, 2011

After a hectic show was up and out of my hotel room at 5.30 am to catch the airport shuttle. I was supposed to be flying to Baltimore via Cincinnati to arrive about 12.15pm. Giving me plenty of time to prepare the workshops, catch my breath and have some much needed down time with Patti and her crew, before my first workshop at 6.30pm.

Well the best laid plans and all that.! We got stuck in the worst storm I have really seen, and so were diverted left right and centre missing connections all the time. I eventually landed at 7.30pm and by the time we arrived at the store nearly 8.30pm!!! You can just imagine what I looked like after 15 hours of travel, barefaced and bedraggled, make up migrated South, hair doing its finest Afro impression

Oh well there was no time to get my bearings it was straight in teaching my guardian girl tags to 20 very very excitable women. Suitcases thrown in the corner, samples hurriedly sorted, deep breath and off we went. Not sure how we winged it through the class, but wing it we did and everyone was extremely pleased with their results. Unfortunately I didn't take one photo of the evening, too busy, so if anyone would like to forward some, I would be really grateful.

After samming it all up and getting it ready for the morning, Patti and Ellen surprised me with some tags they had made for me, using my stamps. Too cute.

And then they presented me with this

Its only a frikkin ledger from 1942...!!! In absolute mint condition. I was a bit teary and all overcome, as I had only just met these guys.

I didn't have a lot of time left that evening to look around the store, can't wait for you to see the video, you flabber will be well and truly ghasted...
After checking in the hotel and falling into bed well after midnight, it was back up again at 6am to do my Skype rounds and make myself look a bit more presentable.

I don't normally eat breakfast till lunchtime, but look what I was presented with at 9am...with instructions that they were for me and me only.!!! You must be joking..

But when in Rome and all that malarkey. It took a while but I got one down me.

I don't eat "normal" breakfast, never mind something like this, so I tried to persuade Ellen to take part.

The funniest part of the weekend, for me, was meeting Sherry, who is just a little obsessed with Our Royal family

She was keen to show me her commemorative album of the wedding, especially as she and a friend had taken leave from work and "personally" attended. As you can see from the evidence she has photo shopped herself into the photos.

How frikkin hilarious is that.?? I was howling with laughter. The best bit was when she took the album to work to "prove" her attendance, she also took in a small white cake and said that Kate and William had sent her home with it.!!! Just love her....

And here is the gorgeous Donna who only had major surgery less than 2 wks previous, but was coming to the classes come hell or high water. She had also made me a stunning tag.

And then we were off.. First class...accordion watercolour book with colorwash.

And that's all the photos I took, the day passed in such a blur even though I taught three 3hr workshops. Barefoot because I was so swollen with the humidity, I couldn't get shoes on my feet. The students coped with me really well, once they got used to the 90 mile a minute pace and the mine of information being hurtled their way, lmao.

And after what seemed like 5 mins sleep it was Sunday morning and we were off again..!!!

Quick preview of all my new stamp sets. Patti's is the only store in the world that has stocks of them at the mo, even I don't receive mine until Tues. Mind you she is THE Queen, so they were probably by Royal Appointment.!

They had given me pride of place at the front of the store, and recreated an English country parlour to make me feel at home, lol. A piano, hydrangeas, the works. Patti had spent hours making a stunning banner with my name on, and love how they have altered my own altered tags. !!

Just to let it be known, the hair is not styled by personal choice but by its sheer bloody refusal to conform to anything but frizz.!

I was amazed how far some of the students had travelled. The lovely Anne Marie lives way over the other side of New York, 8 hrs away, and is an avid reader of my blog. When I announced I was teaching she was straight on the case, finding out where I was and booking all 3 classes for her, her Mum and her daughter. How fabulous was that.??

Must have been some big Momma crab, have you seen the size of the chunks.??

Before we knew it it was time to say our goodbyes, amongst many tears and snotty hugs. Big huge thank you to Patti and Jan for treating me like Royalty, and making sure I wanted for nothing..

To the lovely Terry from Ranger who drove up on the Sunday to see me and take the classes, the photos and the video lol.

The lovely Ellen whose infectious giddiness kept us all going. Pop over to her BLOG to see her account of the weekend

Love this picture of me and The Queen. It was taken about midnight and we both look absolutely knackered but really happy. Although this was the first time we had met I feel we made a strong and heartfelt connection. She is an absolute diamond and her store is easily the best I have ever had the privilege to be in. We are already making plans for January so watch this space.

Due to the intense heat all the time I was in the States my body had blown up and I could easily have been mistaken for a pregnant Mamma. And by the time I landed back in the UK this was the state of my feet and legs.. And don't get me started on my ankles. where the frikk are my ankles.???

Friday, July 29, 2011

Today I wanted to show you all the pictures from my time teaching at the fabulous Queens Ink...But with a capital BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB, all the pics are uploading in a really weird order and I am sick to death of trying to rearrange them , so instead I am trying to upload the video I took of the shop. It has been uploading for 25 mins so fingers crossed. I was completely bowled over when I saw the shop. it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Spacious, beautifully laid out, the displays were out of this world. I just didn't know where to look...I was like a kid in a candy shop...my eyes darting from one thing to another. You can tell in the video how excited I was. I won't spoil it for you though and I will explain it more tomorrow.

Queen Patti and all her entourage were so overflowing with kindness and generosity of spirit that is too hard to try to explain, but they made me feel really important, as though I was someone, not just "Jenny from the block", lol. And their customers were the best customers in the world ( obviously not quite as much as mine!!!!) but a mahoosive point 00000005 behind..!!!

I have tons and tons of pics and news to giddily entertain you with so expect a bumper blog tomorrow.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Yes that's right I'm back, bright eyed and bushy tailed from my adventures across the pond. Loads to tell and too little time to tell it, after a mammoth 4 hrs editing photos. so I am going for a quick fly by of the show.

I landed in the middle of a mahoosive heatwave. And we aren't talking 80 degrees or even 90 degrees...at the most we hit 119 degrees.!!!! Great for a holiday but not so great when you are jet lagged and working.!!!! This was one of the hardest shows I have demoed at, everyone was lethargic, bloated from the heat, and hot, hot hot. The minute you walked outside the heat hit you like a ton of bricks, almost making it difficult to breathe, and talk about humidity.!! My hair was so frizzy I looked like Cleopatra Jones Afro.. Or according to Tim, a poodle that's ready for a trim.!! Charming as ever.!!

The first night I was trying to work in bed and had turned the air con off for 5 mins, when I fell asleep. Well I woke in the morning absolutely boiling and wet through. I flew to the bathroom for a shower and when I returned this is what greeted me.

Oops yes that is my hair dye..

today was education day, and I had been spared that ordeal and was just down as assistant Fifi in the morning class. And for all of you who always thought it, think his halo looks well and truly polished, don't you.??

The tutors were Jenni Bowlin, Claudine and Tim and here are there canvas's respectively L to R.

Jenni's

Claudine

Tim

Here we are in the all important run through

The calm before the storm.....

The gorgeous creature who is Sir Mario, checking his twitter.

"Luvved up"Teresa trying to escape

Quick dash to the loo before class starts....outfit for the day...

The goyjuss Wendy Vecchi...

And who do we spot here patiently waiting in line.??

Only the frikkin Queen from the Queens Ink. Quick curtsey's at the ready...

Oooh the Queen bestowed me with gifts...

And so the class gets underway...not sure how these two reprobates sneaked their way in. Kathy and Jayne from Personal Impressions.

Claudine

Blimey...are they actually creating..??

The Queen..concentrating hard

The luvvly Carol, always a pleasure to see her again, with or without her trusty sidekick and partner in crime Richelle.

The class was running smoothly so I bailed out to see if my stamps had arrived. All my show samples were made over here in England with no stamps. How.?? I can hear you ask... All frikkin hand drawn, that's how.!!!! So I couldn't wait to get the actual rubber n my hands and play.

Here's the Stampers Anonymous Booth going up and yes they are my stamps...Yee Haa.

So I set too amaking those samples..

Teresa got the job of picking the quotes

And in case you were wondering, here's my "rider" for the show...

First day of the show and they poured in, one of my first visitors was the lovely Cathwren..

After 4 hrs demoing on Stamper's Anonymous Booth it was back over to Ranger for the rest of the day.

Here's my display on Ranger's stand...How frikkin fabulous does that look.??? I still have to keep pinching myself and remembering it's real, lol.

And here's my display on Stampers Anonymous Booth

Hard at work

Meeting up with the gorgeous Martha, who describes watching me as peaceful and calming..!!!!

And my buddy at every show, always makes me laugh.

But I can't seem to find the pic of me with my American Mom, Shirley :-( who I didn't get to spend nearly as much time with as I would of liked. Shirley if you have a pic can you forward it xxx

I was having a bit of a bad day that day as you can see by my foot attire.

And before you ask...No it wasn't deliberate...and I have no idea how it happened, but had to spend most of the day wearing them.!!!

I didn't get much of a chance to look around the show, but on the last day me and Tim sneaked a sneaky half hour to look around. There was a display of hand made dresses and this one just completely had me. It was made by Julie Balzaar and was a journal dress. If you look closely every inch of it is painted, journaled and doodled.

The talk of the show was the Blue Violet stand, by Lilla Rogers, which came under the Prima umbrella. A wonderful rainbow fusion of colour and eclectic madness. I was like a bee around a honeypot...

After constantly getting stopped by the hoards of people who want Tim's photo, we decided to make a break for lunch. I was a bit hesitant as lunch with Tim is normally a bit of a night mare, with not a moments peace, lol. But he assured me he had found a little secret spot, away from all the pandemonium and madness.

And he was right..

Mario volunteered to go get the butties and came back with this.... A Gibson's bag...

Now for the uninitated...Gibson's is the creme de la creme of restaurants... But I think Mario got away with only having to donate one kidney to secure this little feast.

It was a struggle but we managed to eat it somehow...lmao

Back to the show floor where I was accosted by the very lovely Katie...

And the lovely Connie from Norway, who incidentally, was the first ever person to own all of my Dyan's downloads. Don't tell anyone but a trip to Norway may well be on the cards...

And then after all the fun, it's onto the big breakdown. Not my breakdown, but the breakdown of the stand. Tiring, tiring work, with none of the adrenalin left to spur us on... I was only left fit to order room service. Yum yum...Skirt steak, garlic mash and roasted veggies....Very healthy....

Oooops not sure how that got on the tray.!!!

So my time in Chicago was almost up and I was busy packing for the second leg of my journey, up at 5am to travel to The Queen in Baltimore.